The subsequent article is intended to support the thesis and notion that the current Jesus Tomb Edicule (small shrine), which now resides at first-floor ground level in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre located in Jerusalem, Israel, is not the actual Tomb of Jesus itself.  Meanwhile, in all reality the real Tomb of Jesus is most likely located at a much lower depth within the same said confines of the Church itself, some 40 feet (12.2 meters), and somewhat farther to the southeastern part of the Church – hence, within the construct of the lower Chapel of The Finding of The Cross.  As such, this said Chapel is at the lowest and most eastern point within the cut solid rock accessible confines (Crypt) of the larger Church compound, two flights of steps below ground level of the above-mentioned Edicule.

Therefore, we humbly intend to offer reasonable and compelling information that supports our claim that the small, moderate, and unadorned Chapel of The Finding of The Cross is the best and most logical fit for positioning the literal and factual Tomb of Jesus.  That being said, this article is not intended to diminish the credibility of the greater institution of the larger Church of the Holy Sepulchre in any way, but merely to offer a viable alternative to what is now the much-celebrated Jesus Tomb Edicule proper.  As such, my wife and I do not seek any hidden fame or fortune for our 17 years of research, but rather desire the revelation of the truthful location and authentication of the Tomb of our beloved Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, which has gone credibly unverified now for over some 1700 years.  

Going forward, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was originally constructed around 330 A.D. by Roman Emperor Flavius Valerius Constantine and his mother, Flavius Julia Helena, a Roman Augusta, also later known as Saint Helena. Since then, the Church has undergone multiple destructions and reconstructions, including significant damage by the Persians in 614 A.D. and again in 1009 A.D. by the Fatimid Caliph al-Hakim. It was rebuilt in the 12th century, with the current structure primarily resulting from a renovation in 1810.

Similarly, the existing Jesus Tomb Edicule within the larger Church complex has undergone numerous destructions, rebuilds, and modifications over the years, with its most recent restoration occurring in 2016-2017.

To this end, one must logically ask how Saint Helena came to know the exact spot where the former Tomb of Jesus was positioned, given that history suggests that the former Roman Emperor Hadrian (Publius Aelius Hadrianus 117-138 A.D.) had previously, around 135 A.D., completely leveled and filled both the areas of the Jesus Crucifixion and Tomb, burying today’s Finding of The Cross location under more than 40 feet (12.2 meters) of stone rubble. Then he built a massive temple to the pagan Roman goddess Venus and possibly the pagan Roman god Jupiter on a newly constructed stone platform over the suggested Jesus Tomb site. Moreover, he even went so far as to rename the ancient Hebrew city of God, Jerusalem, to Aelia Capitolina following the 135 A.D. Second Jewish Revolt. This was not merely an attempt to destroy a resistance but also an effort to obscure the celebrated and much-visited Christian Jesus Tomb while erasing the site from view with his pagan temple. It was at this point that we suggest Emperor Hadrian actually had the northern front stone face of the Jesus Tomb cut away as well as the removal of the pedestal where Jesus’ body would have laid, leaving what appears today, which is, as stated, currently the Chapel/Crypt of The Finding of The Cross, in his zeal to obscure and conceal the identity of the real Jesus Tomb.   

As mentioned, after nearly 200 years of the destruction and concealment of the original Jesus Tomb by Emperor Hadrian, how did Saint Helena determine where to search? Some legends state she was guided by spiritual dreams and visions, while others attribute her direction to miracles or inquiries made to the local community. Nonetheless, it seems she had support from the Bishop of Jerusalem, Saint Macarius, and the Bishop of Caesarea, Saint Eusebius. They informed Emperor Constantine and Saint Helena that Calvary and Christ’s Tomb lay beneath Hadrian’s Temple of Venus and the pagan Roman god Jupiter's statue. After the pagan Temple was dismantled and the site excavated, a small rock-cut tomb from the 1st century was uncovered, which Saint Helena believed to be the actual Tomb of Jesus. This evidence led Roman Emperor Constantine to declare the construction of a grand Church at this suspected site, which is now known as the renowned Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

No archaeological or factual evidence exists to show how these two Bishops pinpointed the location of Jesus’ Tomb, which had been entirely buried for about 200 years. Additionally, Hadrian’s destructive reconstruction completely obliterated the visible landscape of the area. To this day, there is not a single archaeological artifact found that is “directly” linked to Jesus at this significant Tomb Edicule—none at all! The only available evidence is minimal and circumstantial, including recently discovered agricultural seeds implying that a garden existed at both the site of the Crucifixion and the Tomb, as indicated in the Scriptures (Jn. 19:41). However, this does not prove that the 1st-century Edicule is the true Tomb of Jesus. This Edicule Tomb is simply “A” 1st-century tomb with a crafted representation and a longstanding “tradition." Jesus Himself stated in various parts of Scripture that tradition does not necessarily ensure factual truth. Thus, we are left with only the purported validating words of the two Bishops, which could be true or possibly not.

That being said, we now need to take a brief look at the legend(s) surrounding the Chapel of the Finding of The Cross. While there are many legends, I will focus primarily on one notable book entitled “The Golden Legend,” which states that a Jew named Judas, claiming to be the grandson of Zacchaeus and nephew of Saint Stephen, appeared to be the only one who knew where the Cross of Jesus was originally hidden. 

The following is an excerpt from this said book:

…Helena went in to Jerusalem and did do assemble all the wise men of the country, and when they were assembled they would fain know wherefore they were called. Then one Judas said to them: I [know] well that she will [ask] of us where the cross of Jesus Christ was laid, but beware you all that none of you tell her, for I wot well, then shall our law be destroyed. ...

When the queen had called them and demanded them the place where our Lord Jesus Christ had been crucified, they would never tell n[or] [show] her. ... Show to me, said she, the place named Golgotha where our Lord was crucified, because and to the end that we may find the cross. Then said Judas: It is two hundred years passed and more, and I was not then yet born. Then said to him the lady: By him that was crucified, I shall make thee perish [of] hunger if thou tell not to me the truth. Then made she him to be cast into a dry pit and there tormented him by hunger and evil rest. When he had been seven days in that pit, then said he: If I might be drawn out, I should say the truth. Then he was drawn out, and when he came to the place, anon the earth moved, and a fume of great sweetness was felt, in such wise that Judas smote his hands together for joy, and said: In truth, Jesus Christ, thou art the Saviour of the world…

The above legend, along with others, indicates that three Crosses were discovered in what is now referred to as the Chapel of the Finding of The Cross, previously known as the Chapel of the Invention of The Cross. One of these three Crosses is claimed to be the TRUE CROSS of Jesus.

Within this Chapel, there is a small, humble altar (refer to Figures 3A & 3B) featuring an embedded stone, believed to mark the location where Saint Helena discovered the True Cross of Jesus. Following extensive investigation, on January 21, 2023, at approximately 2:35 p.m., we uncovered an unintended and peculiar image on the angular western wall of this Chapel. This image, absent from any documented literature or history, is not of human creation—it appears mysteriously. Positioned about 2 feet (0.6 meters) above the floor at the center of the wall, the image is most discernible through a camera but can also be faintly perceived by the naked eye when the Chapel is well-lit. The image depicts a man’s face with a Lamb situated over His right eye (refer to Figures 1 & 2). The plaster loss on this portion of the wall has formed the shape of a large fish with a tail, leaving a darker area within. Remarkably, the features of the two eyes, the nose, and the Lamb over the right eye are distinctly visible.

It is important to note that this facial image gazes eastward across the small rectangular room from the angular plaster stone wall, directly facing the modest eastern altar—traditionally marking the location where Saint Helena is said to have found the True Cross on May 3, 326 A.D. The small room's height ranges from approximately 7 feet (2.1 meters) on the eastern altar side to 9 feet (2.7 meters) at the western wall with the facial image. Refer to Figure 4, which provides a map of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, showing the far eastern section labeled as the Tomb of Jesus.

On the western end of this room remains a large semi-circular carved stone section, suggesting that something large and round was once quarried here. It is plausible to infer that this could be the site where the great round stone, mentioned in Matthew 27:60, was cut to seal Jesus’ Tomb. The passage describing Peter and John stooping to look inside the Tomb—where they observed two angels positioned at the head and foot of where Jesus’ body had been—does not inherently necessitate a small entrance. The Greek term “parakypsas”, used in Luke 24:12 and translated as "stooping," also means "to look intently" and is similarly used in its grammatical form in John 20:5 and James 1:25. Therefore, the size of the Tomb opening is not Scripturally constrained, contrary to claims by some scholars. Given that it was intended to be a rich man's Tomb, as specified in the Bible, it would not have been an ordinary burial site of its era. It is completely plausible that Emperor Hadrian later had the northern stone face of Jesus’ Tomb removed to obscure its true identity.

Adjacent to the eastern altar is a carved niche, approximately 3 feet (1 meter) wide and 5 feet (1.6 meters) high. This feature may have served as a repository for ossuaries—stone boxes used to store the skeletal remains of deceased family members about a year after initial burial.

Likewise, there are two very faint fresco images of Crosses painted on the southern wall of this significant site.

Next to this small cavity lies a larger room, around 30 feet (9.1 meters) high, which is the remnants of an ancient Roman cistern. Rectangular holes carved into the top of the cistern, presumably for lowering buckets to extract water, are still visible. Additionally, a Jerusalem Cross is carved at the cistern’s top (refer to Figure 5). Overall, the site resembles a two-room Tomb, consisting of a large cistern family chamber and a smaller adjoining burial chamber.

The entire site encompassing the Crucifixion and Jesus’ Tomb was once part of an ancient Roman rock quarry used in constructing the city of Jerusalem. It was a common practice for the Romans to repurpose completed quarry sites into water cisterns, considering the arid climate and water’s vital role in sustaining life in Israel. When these cisterns became defunct, they were often sold or made available for the Jews to carve burial Tombs into their vertical walls—a practice that likely occurred here. Matthew 27:57–60 suggests that Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy man, may have purchased and constructed this very Tomb, now known as the Chapel of the Finding of The Cross.

This possibility gains significance when considered alongside Scripture. In Matthew 12:40, Jesus Himself said, “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so, shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” How poetic is it that this Chapel, adjoining an ancient water cistern—the heart of life in ancient Israel—could be the actual Tomb of Jesus. As Jonah was surrounded by the waters in the whale’s belly, Jesus may symbolically have been surrounded by the cistern’s water, emphasizing the Biblical significance of water as life’s “heart.”

Regarding the mysterious image of the face on the western wall, we propose it symbolizes the Father watching over His Beloved Son. As Zechariah 12:10 states, “…and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”

Moreover, our proposed Tomb site is closer to the actual rock of Calvary (Golgotha) than the currently recognized Tomb within the Edicule. In contrast to the Edicule, which relies solely on tradition without archaeological artifacts linked to Jesus, the Chapel of the Finding of The Cross has the legend of the three Crosses—including the True Cross—alongside notable features such as the ancient cistern, the semi-circular stone carving, and possibly the ossuary niche. Furthermore, the enigmatic facial image, still present as of April 23, 2025, invites scholarly examination, as it overlooks the precise spot where Saint Helena allegedly found the True Cross. What are the odds of such an image—a man’s face with a Lamb over His right eye—mysteriously appearing in this exact location? Its presence, seemingly uncreated by human hands, demands thoughtful discussion and interpretation.

In addition, if one could pierce through the now-sealed northern wall of the ancient water cistern into the adjoining quarry cavity, one would find the area where a 1st-century hand drawing of a sailboat was once archaeologically found with a hand-printed statement saying in Latin, “DOMINE IVIMUS” - “Lord, we went”. It has since been relocated to just above its original location to a tiny Chapel known today as Saint Vartan’s. Refer to Figure 6 below.

Meanwhile, over the course of 17 years, we have received over 300 spiritual messages, dreams, and visions through fasting and prayer, though we choose not to elaborate on these here, recognizing that such spiritual confirmations are not widely supported within the Christian community. It is our firm belief that, within this said, Chapel is a small, concealed cut-stone cavity containing a valuable Manuscript preserved in beeswax that will verify this site as the authentic Tomb of Jesus and possibly many other related hidden secrets. 

On April 22, 2025, my wife and I were privileged to meet Diana, the personal secretary to Francesco Patton, the 168th Custodian of the Holy Land, in Jerusalem. During this meeting, we submitted our research and thoughts on this matter. Moreover, on 04/29/2025, Diana kindly communicated to us that she had forwarded our suggestions and research for further review.

In conclusion, while skeptics may attribute the above-described image to nothing more than the phenomenon of pareidolia (to see faces, shapes, or patterns in photos), this particular image is unique in that it features not only the face of a man but also a Lamb positioned over the right eye, distinctly located in the place of the Finding of the TRUE Cross.

We encourage you, as the reader, to carefully consider the evidence and compare the significance of the traditional Edicule within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to the proposed modest, unadorned Chapel/Crypt of the Finding of the Cross. In doing so, it is important to recognize that throughout history, tradition remains a powerful force, resistant to change.

To this end, which site do you believe to be the true tomb of Jesus? The decision is entirely yours to make.

Thank you sincerely for taking the time to consider our proposal. Should you have any legitimate questions, please feel free to contact us at barn.bb21@gmail.com or nablanke@hotmail.com, and we will try to respond appropriately.